2012 in film
2012 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2012, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths. Most notably, the two oldest surviving American film studios, Universal and Paramount both celebrated their centennial anniversaries, marking the first time that two major film studios celebrate 100 years, and the Dolby Atmos sound format was launched for the premiere of Brave. The James Bond film series celebrated its 50th anniversary and released its 23rd film, Skyfall. Six box-office blockbusters from previous years (Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Titanic, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc.) were re-released in 3D and IMAX. Also, the year marked the debut for high frame rate technology. The first film using 48 F.P.S., a higher frame rate than the film industry standard 24 F.P.S., was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
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Years in film |
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1870s |
Evaluation of the year
Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, "2012 has been a good year for Hollywood and off-Hollywood. Note, once more, the remarkable Hollywood nexus of the Gotham and Independent Spirit nominees, as the path of independent financing becomes ever more significant for filmmakers whose work doesn’t fit into franchise formatting. And that’s a good thing, from the perspective of filmmaking—whether it means that directors and actors share producers’ risks in getting their work made, or that complicit producers give a director's vision free rein. But the latter notion makes some critics uneasy. There's an undercurrent of thought—one rooted in an antiquated and nostalgic vision of a halcyon classic Hollywood that supposedly both reached the masses and made modest and un-self-conscious art—that looks to producers to restrain the idiosyncrasies of directors and fit them into a readily marketable package of popular appeal. These critics yearn for the adversarial relationship of producer and director, seeing the producer as the supporter of democratic values and the director as a sort of egomaniacal élitist who, unrestrained, would spend someone else's money frivolously to make a movie that would please himself and his friends. Of course, that relationship becomes adversarial only if the producer doesn't see himself as a sort of benefactor, a patron of the arts whose very role is to finance and to foster individual expression—and, as ever, it all depends on who the individual is and what the nature of the vision is. It's fairly obvious that strong producers improve films made by mediocre directors but often constrain or dilute the distinctiveness and individuality of the work of good ones. There is a political agenda hidden within the critics’ aesthetic preference for the strong hand of the producer, as critics demagogically put themselves in the position of defenders of the people—defending them from radical outliers and finding popular tastes with which to align themselves. It's another case of left and right agreeing without common ground and leading to bad policy—and, in this case, bad art."[1]
Highest-grossing films
The top 10 films released in 2012 by worldwide gross are as follows:[2]
Rank | Title | Distributor | Worldwide gross |
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1 | The Avengers | Disney | $1,518,812,988 |
2 | Skyfall | Sony Pictures / Columbia / MGM | $1,108,561,013 |
3 | The Dark Knight Rises | Warner Bros. | $1,081,041,287 |
4 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Warner Bros. / MGM | $1,017,003,568 |
5 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Fox | $877,244,782 |
6 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | Lionsgate | $829,746,820 |
7 | The Amazing Spider-Man | Sony Pictures / Columbia | $757,930,663 |
8 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Paramount / DreamWorks | $746,921,274 |
9 | The Hunger Games | Lionsgate | $694,394,724 |
10 | Men in Black 3 | Sony Pictures / Columbia | $624,026,776 |
The Avengers grossed over $1.5 billion and it became the third highest-grossing film of all time. Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have each grossed over $1 billion, making them among the highest-grossing films of all time.
2012 box office records
- The Hunger Games was the first film of 2012 to pass the $500 million mark worldwide, and is also the first film since Avatar to place first at the U.S. box office for four consecutive weekends.
- Skyfall became the first film to gross more than £100 million, amassing a total of £102.9 million.
- With their 3-D re-releases, two films achieved new milestones: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace reached $1.027 billion, and Titanic reached $2.186 billion, becoming the second film to surpass the $2 billion mark, following Avatar.
- 2012 was the first year to have four films cross the billion-dollar milestone, surpassing the previous year's record of three billion-dollar films.
Events
- 1st AACTA International Awards
- 14th Jutra Awards
- 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 32nd Genie Awards
- 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 38th People's Choice Awards
- 38th Saturn Awards
- 62nd Berlin International Film Festival
- 65th British Academy Film Awards
- 69th Golden Globe Awards
- 69th Venice International Film Festival
- 84th Academy Awards
- 2012 Cannes Film Festival
- 2012 MTV Movie Awards
- 2012 Toronto International Film Festival
Awards
2012 films
The list of films released in 2012, arranged by country, are as follows:
Notable deaths
Month | Date | Name | Age | Nationality | Profession | Notable films |
January | 1 | Bob Anderson | 89 | English | Stuntman, Choreographer | |
2 | Silvana Gallardo | 58 | American | Actress | ||
3 | Joaquín Martínez | 81 | Mexican-American | Actor | ||
3 | Jenny Tomasin | 73 | English | Actress | The Adventures of Barry McKenzie | |
4 | Harry Fowler | 85 | English | Actor | ||
5 | Frederica Sagor Maas | 111 | American | Screenwriter | ||
9 | Mae Laborde | 102 | American | Actress | ||
10 | Lila Kaye | 82 | English | Actress | ||
11 | Richard Bruno | 87 | American | Costume Designer | ||
11 | David Whitaker | 81 | English | Composer | ||
13 | Morgan Jones | 83 | American | Actor | ||
14 | Mila Parely | 94 | French | Actress | ||
20 | Marion Mathie | 73 | English | Actress | ||
21 | Eiko Ishioka | 73 | Japanese | Costume Designer | ||
24 | Theo Angelopoulos | 76 | Greek | Director, Writer | ||
24 | James Farentino | 82 | American | Actor | ||
26 | Ian Abercrombie | 77 | English-American | Actor | ||
26 | Dimitra Arliss | 79 | American | Actress | ||
29 | John Rich | 86 | American | Director | ||
30 | Frederick Treves | 86 | English | Actor | ||
February | 1 | Don Cornelius | 75 | American | Actor | |
3 | Ben Gazzara | 81 | American | Actor | ||
3 | Zalman King | 69 | American | Actor, Director, Screenwriter | ||
4 | Andrew Wight | 51 | Australian | Screenwriter, Producer | ||
5 | Sam Coppola | 79 | American | Actor | ||
5 | Bill Hinzman | 75 | American | Actor, Director | ||
6 | Peter Breck | 82 | American | Actor | ||
8 | Phil Bruns | 80 | American | Actor | ||
8 | Laurie Main | 89 | Australian-American | Actor | ||
11 | Whitney Houston | 48 | American | Actress, Singer, Producer | ||
12 | Zina Bethune | 66 | American | Actress, Choreographer | ||
12 | David Kelly | 82 | Irish | Actor | ||
13 | Russell Arms | 92 | American | Actor, Singer | ||
16 | Elyse Knox | 94 | American | Actress | ||
16 | Dick Anthony Williams | 77 | American | Actor | ||
18 | Peter Halliday | 87 | English | Actor | ||
18 | Ric Waite | 78 | American | Cinematographer | ||
20 | Sullivan Walker | 68 | Trinidadian-American | Actor | ||
21 | Gladys O'Connor | 108 | English-Canadian | Actress | ||
23 | Bruce Surtees | 74 | American | Cinematographer | ||
25 | Erland Josephson | 88 | Swedish | Actor | ||
26 | Ed Brigadier | 62 | American | Actor | ||
26 | Richard Carpenter | 82 | English | Actor, Screenwriter | ||
29 | Dennis Chinnery | 84 | English | Actor | ||
29 | Davy Jones | 66 | English | Actor, Singer | ||
March | 1 | Phillip R. Allen | 72 | American | Actor | |
1 | Jerome Courtland | 85 | American | Actor, Producer | ||
2 | Don Marion | 94 | American | Actor | ||
3 | Leonardo Cimino | 94 | American | Actor | ||
3 | Ralph McQuarrie | 82 | American | Designer, Illustrator | ||
4 | Joan Taylor | 82 | American | Actress | ||
5 | Philip Madoc | 77 | Welsh-English | Actor | ||
6 | Robert B. Sherman | 86 | American | Songwriter | ||
9 | Dennis Bowen | 61 | American | Actor | ||
9 | Terry Teene | 70 | American | Actor, Singer | ||
10 | Jean Giraud | 73 | French | Designer, Illustrator | ||
11 | Faith Brook | 90 | English | Actress | ||
19 | Ulu Grosbard | 83 | Belgian-American | Director, Producer | ||
21 | Robert Fuest | 84 | English | Director, Screenwriter | ||
21 | Tonino Guerra | 92 | Italian | Screenwriter | ||
25 | Hal E. Chester | 91 | American | Actor, Producer. Screenwriter | ||
25 | Bill Weston | 70 | English | Stuntman, Actor | ||
27 | Warren Stevens | 92 | American | Actor | ||
27 | Garry Walberg | 90 | American | Actor | ||
28 | Neil Travis | 73 | American | Film Editor | ||
29 | Luke Askew | 80 | American | Actor | ||
April | 1 | Jamaa Fanaka | 69 | American | Director, Screenwriter, Producer | |
2 | Jimmy Little | 75 | Australian | Actor, Singer | ||
3 | Nicholas King | 79 | American | Actor | ||
8 | Rikiya Yasuoka | 64 | Japanese | Actor | ||
9 | Carol Adams | 94 | American | Actress | ||
9 | Barry Cahill | 90 | Canadian-American | Actor | ||
10 | Grant Tilly | 74 | Australian | Actor | ||
11 | Rainer Penkert | 90 | German | Actor | ||
13 | Marilyn Lovell Matz | 81 | American | Actress, Singer | ||
14 | William Finley | 71 | American | Actor | ||
14 | Jonathan Frid | 87 | Canadian | Actor | ||
14 | Martin Poll | 89 | American | Producer | ||
15 | Paul Bogart | 92 | American | Director, Producer | ||
15 | Murray Rose | 73 | English-Australian | Actor | ||
18 | Dick Clark | 82 | American | Actor, Producer | ||
18 | Robert O. Ragland | 80 | American | Composer | ||
19 | Levon Helm | 71 | American | Actor, Singer | ||
20 | Peter Carsten | 83 | German | Actor | ||
25 | Paul L. Smith | 75 | American | Actor | ||
26 | Margie Stewart | 92 | American | Actress | ||
28 | Walter Mathews | 85 | American | Actor | ||
28 | Patricia Medina | 92 | English | Actress | ||
29 | Joel Goldsmith | 54 | American | Composer | ||
30 | George Murdock | 81 | American | Actor | ||
May | 1 | Charles Pitts | 65 | American | Actor | |
2 | Charlotte Mitchell | 85 | English | Actress | ||
2 | Tracy Reed | 69 | English | Actress | ||
2 | Digby Wolfe | 82 | English-American | Actor | ||
3 | Silvia Laidla | 84 | Estonian | Actress |
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4 | Mort Lindsey | 89 | American | Composer | ||
6 | James Isaac | 51 | American | Director, Producer, Special Effects | ||
6 | George Lindsey | 83 | American | Actor | ||
8 | Maurice Sendak | 83 | American | Producer, Production Designer | ||
9 | Vidal Sassoon | 84 | English-American | Hairstylist | ||
10 | Joyce Redman | 93 | English-Irish | Actress | ||
11 | Roland Shaw | 91 | English | Composer, Arranger | ||
12 | Ruth Foster | 92 | American | Film Editor, Actress | ||
13 | Donald "Duck" Dunn | 70 | American | Actor, Composer | ||
15 | Henry Denker | 99 | American | Screenwriter | ||
18 | Paul O'Sullivan | 68 | Canadian | Actor | ||
18 | Richard Rabago | 68 | American | Actor | ||
22 | Janet Carroll | 71 | American | Actress | ||
24 | Lee Rich | 93 | American | Producer | ||
27 | Dee Caruso | 83 | American | Screenwriter | ||
28 | Matthew Yuricich | 89 | American | Special Effects Artist | ||
29 | Kaneto Shindo | 100 | Japanese | Director, Screenwriter | ||
31 | Christopher Challis | 91 | English | Cinematographer | ||
June | 2 | Richard Dawson | 79 | English-American | Actor | |
2 | Kathryn Joosten | 72 | American | Actress | ||
2 | Marco Onorato | 59 | Italian | Cinematographer | ||
4 | Stan Jolley | 86 | American | Art Director, Production Designer | ||
5 | Caroline John | 71 | English | Actress | ||
5 | Ray Bradbury | 90 | American | Writer | ||
7 | J. Michael Riva | 63 | American | Production Designer | ||
8 | Frank Cady | 96 | American | Actor | ||
11 | Ann Rutherford | 94 | American | Actress | ||
14 | Yvette Wilson | 48 | American | Actress | ||
16 | Giuseppe Bertolucci | 65 | Italian | Director, Screenwriter | ||
16 | Susan Tyrrell | 67 | American | Actress | ||
17 | George Leech | 90 | English | Actor, Stuntman | James Bond | |
18 | Victor Spinetti | 82 | Welsh | Actor | ||
19 | Richard Lynch | 72 | American | Actor | ||
26 | Nora Ephron | 71 | American | Director, Screenwriter, Producer | ||
27 | Don Grady | 68 | American | Actor, Composer | ||
27 | Bruce Guerin | 93 | American | Actor | ||
28 | Paul Stassino | 81 | Cypriot | Actor | ||
30 | David Webb | 81 | English | Actor | ||
July | 2 | Ben Davidson | 72 | American | Actor | |
3 | Andy Griffith | 86 | American | Actor | ||
4 | Eric Sykes | 89 | English | Actor | ||
8 | Ernest Borgnine | 95 | American | Actor | ||
13 | Wayne Massarelli | 62 | American | Make-up Artist | ||
13 | Sage Stallone | 36 | American | Actor, Director, Producer | ||
13 | Ginny Tyler | 86 | American | Actress, Singer | ||
13 | Richard D. Zanuck | 77 | American | Producer | ||
14 | Avis Hope Eckelberry | 56 | American | Film Editor | ||
14 | Michael Turner | 90 | South African | Actor | Cry Freedom | |
15 | Celeste Holm | 95 | American | Actress | ||
16 | William Asher | 90 | American | Producer | ||
16 | Martin Kenzie | 56 | English | Camera Operator | ||
17 | Morgan Paull | 67 | American | Actor | ||
18 | Rajesh Khanna | 69 | Indian | Actor | ||
19 | Tom Davis | 59 | American | Actor | ||
20 | Tony Epper | 73 | American | Stuntman, Actor | ||
20 | Simon Ward | 70 | English | Actor | ||
21 | Angharad Rees | 63 | Welsh | Actress | ||
22 | Fern Persons | 101 | American | Actress | ||
22 | Frank Pierson | 87 | American | Director, Screenwriter | ||
24 | Chad Everett | 76 | American | Actor | ||
24 | Sherman Hemsley | 74 | American | Actor | ||
26 | Lupe Ontiveros | 69 | American | Actress | ||
26 | Mary Tamm | 62 | English | Actress | ||
27 | Norman Alden | 87 | American | Actor | ||
27 | R. G. Armstrong | 95 | American | Actor | ||
27 | Geoffrey Hughes | 68 | English | Actor | ||
27 | Tony Martin | 98 | American | Actor, Singer | ||
29 | John P. Finnegan | 86 | American | Actor | ||
30 | Jonathan Hardy | 71 | New Zealand | Actor, Director | ||
31 | Gore Vidal | 86 | American | Actor, Screenwriter | ||
August | 6 | Marvin Hamlisch | 68 | American | Composer | |
8 | Sancho Gracia | 75 | Spanish | Actor | ||
9 | Al Freeman Jr. | 78 | American | Actor | ||
9 | Mel Stuart | 83 | American | Director, Producer | ||
10 | Irving Fein | 101 | American | Producer | ||
10 | Carlo Rambaldi | 86 | Italian | Special Effects Artist | ||
11 | Bill Rafferty | 68 | American | Actor | ||
13 | Joan Roberts | 94 | American | Actress | ||
14 | Ron Palillo | 63 | American | Actor | ||
14 | Phyllis Thaxter | 92 | American | Actress | ||
15 | Biff Elliot | 89 | American | Actor | ||
16 | William Windom | 88 | American | Actor | ||
18 | George Bowers | 68 | American | Director, Editor | ||
19 | Tony Scott | 68 | English | Director, Producer | ||
20 | Phyllis Diller | 95 | American | Actress, Comedian, Voice Actress | ||
21 | Tissa David | 91 | American | Animator | ||
22 | Jeffrey Stone | 86 | American | Actor | ||
23 | Jerry Nelson | 78 | American | Puppeteer, Actor |
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24 | Steve Franken | 80 | American | Actor | ||
24 | Claire Malis | 69 | American | Actress | ||
25 | Florencio Amarilla | 77 | Paraguayan | Actor | ||
31 | Max Bygraves | 89 | English | Actor, Singer | ||
31 | Joe Lewis | 68 | American | Actor, Stuntman | ||
September | 1 | Hal David | 91 | American | Composer | |
3 | Michael Clarke Duncan | 54 | American | Actor | ||
6 | Jake Eberts | 71 | Canadian | Producer | ||
6 | Frank Godwin | 95 | English | Producer | ||
7 | Louise LaPlanche | 93 | American | Actress | ||
8 | Leigh Hamilton | 62 | New Zealand-American | Actress | ||
10 | Vondell Darr | 93 | American | Actress | ||
10 | Lance LeGault | 75 | American | Actor | ||
10 | Stanley Long | 78 | English | Director, Screenwriter, Producer | ||
10 | John Moffatt | 89 | English | Actor | ||
12 | Jon Finlayson | 74 | Australian | Actor | ||
13 | Edgar Metcalfe | 78 | English | Actor | ||
14 | Stephen Dunham | 48 | American | Actor | ||
14 | Winston Rekert | 63 | Canadian | Actor | ||
16 | John Ingle | 84 | American | Actor | ||
16 | Roman Kroitor | 85 | Canadian | Director, Producer | ||
21 | Michael Rye | 94 | American | Actor | ||
25 | Andy Williams | 84 | American | Actor, Singer | ||
26 | Johnny Lewis | 28 | American | Actor | ||
27 | Herbert Lom | 95 | Czech-English | Actor | ||
28 | Michael O'Hare | 60 | American | Actor | ||
30 | Turhan Bey | 90 | Austrian-American | Actor | ||
October | 2 | Marjorie Lane | 100 | American | Actress, Singer | |
7 | Larry Block | 69 | American | Actor | ||
7 | Hank Moonjean | 82 | American | Producer | ||
8 | Ken Sansom | 85 | American | Actor | ||
9 | Harris Savides | 55 | American | Cinematographer | ||
10 | Alex Karras | 77 | American | Actor | ||
10 | Robert Litz | 62 | American | Screenwriter | ||
10 | Leo O'Brien | 41 | American | Actor | ||
12 | Norm Grabowski | 79 | American | Actor | ||
13 | Gary Collins | 74 | American | Actor | ||
14 | John Clive | 79 | English | Actor | ||
18 | Sylvia Kristel | 60 | Dutch | Actress | ||
20 | Joe Melia | 77 | English | Actor | ||
22 | Carolyn Conwell | 82 | American | Actress | ||
22 | Russell Means | 72 | American | Actor | ||
24 | Peggy Ahern | 95 | American | Actress | ||
24 | Anita Bjork | 89 | Swedish | Actress | ||
26 | Mac Ahlberg | 81 | Swedish | Cinematographer | ||
26 | Natina Reed | 32 | American | Actress, Singer | ||
27 | Robert W. Castle | 81 | American | Actor | ||
28 | Merry Anders | 78 | American | Actress | ||
28 | Bob Brunner | 78 | American | Screenwriter | ||
29 | Bounty | 52 | Canadian-American | Ship | ||
30 | Leonard Termo | 77 | American | Actor | ||
31 | Brian Cobby | 83 | English | Actor | ||
31 | Teri Shields | 79 | American | Actress, Producer | ||
November | 5 | Olympe Bradna | 93 | French-American | Actress | |
5 | Margaret Nichols | 82 | American | Animator | ||
6 | Clive Dunn | 92 | English | Actor, Singer | ||
7 | Richard Robbins | 71 | American | Composer | ||
8 | Lucille Bliss | 96 | American | Actress | ||
8 | Roger Hammond | 76 | English | Actor | ||
9 | Bobbi Jordan | 75 | American | Actress | ||
9 | Pat Renella | 83 | American | Actor | ||
13 | Ray Zone | 65 | American | Film historian and artist | ||
17 | Bonnie Lynn Fields | 68 | American | Actress | ||
17 | Katherine Kath | 92 | English | Actress | ||
21 | Dann Cahn | 89 | American | Film Editor | ||
21 | Deborah Raffin | 59 | American | Actress | ||
22 | Mel Shaw | 97 | American | Animator, Screenwriter | ||
23 | Larry Hagman | 81 | American | Actor, Director | ||
23 | John Kemeny | 87 | Hungarian-Canadian | Producer | ||
25 | Dinah Sheridan | 92 | English | Actress | ||
26 | Martin Richards | 80 | American | Producer | ||
27 | Bob Kellett | 84 | English | Director, Producer, Screenwriter | ||
28 | Don Rhymer | 51 | American | Screenwriter | ||
29 | Susan Luckey | 74 | American | Actress | ||
29 | Benjamin Tatar | 82 | American | Actor | ||
December | 3 | Eileen Moran | 60 | American | Visual Effects | |
7 | Jeni Le Gon | 96 | American | Actress | ||
7 | Rusty Mills | 49 | American | Animator | ||
8 | Hal Schaefer | 87 | American | Composer, Actor | ||
10 | Marla English | 77 | American | Actress | ||
10 | Ed Grady | 89 | American | Actor | ||
10 | Patricia Kennedy | 96 | Australian | Actress | ||
11 | Ravi Shankar | 92 | Indian-American | Composer, Musician | ||
12 | Don Medford | 95 | American | Director | ||
13 | Jack Hanlon | 96 | American | Actor | ||
14 | Kenneth Kendall | 88 | Indian-English | Actor | ||
16 | Axel Anderson | 83 | German-Puerto Rican | Actor | ||
18 | Danny Steinmann | 70 | American | Director, Screenwriter | ||
21 | Daphne Oxenford | 93 | English | Actress | ||
22 | Cliff Osmond | 75 | American | Actor | ||
24 | Richard Rodney Bennett | 76 | English | Composer | ||
24 | Charles Durning | 89 | American | Actor | ||
24 | Lee Hartman | 82 | American | Animator, Actor | ||
24 | Jack Klugman | 90 | American | Actor | ||
26 | Gerry Anderson | 83 | English | Director, Producer, Screenwriter | ||
27 | Harry Carey Jr. | 91 | American | Actor | ||
28 | Jon Finch | 70 | English | Actor | ||
30 | Mike Hopkins | 53 | New Zealand | Sound Editor | ||
30 | Gloria Pall | 85 | American | Actress |
References
- Brody, Richard (9 December 2012). "The Best Movies of 2012". The New Yorker. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- "2012 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 7, 2020.